Grapple



J. BRESLAV July 13, 1948.

GRAPPLE Filed Oct. 10, 1945 5 INVENTOR.

Jack Breslazr ATTURNEY This invention relates Patented July 13, 1948 TGBAPPLE i fl jfi New Haven; Conn. I v r I v Application October 10, 1945, tseriaLsNogsgl z H g a g 13 ;to' j grapples "and more particularly to improvements" in fgrapp'les -'espe chilly-adapted toenga'geandjlift 'a pile of sheet, 'orfipiatefstockforftransferto' anot her locati'ori. "*Oneform of grapple "adapted "for the abovementioned use is provided withapair of opposed s'took-carryin'gibars,.oranglcsQbetwen which the stock ln sheet'orplate form'yextends, either singly Orin piles, with the side edges thereof "resting upon't'saidfbars. Thesebara'or anglesLaIeEarranged to be 'positively moved toward and away from ea'dhiother by "each "being secured to the lowenends'of "one or moredroplegs, or carrying arms each' "or the latter depending from the outerenn of *ahori-zontally disposed "and. slidably anfi thits ifacilita'te th'e use .df :such a grappleain a stockastorage :location having a relatively low ceiling.

- rmiother object -.isto provide in 1a grapple of the above mature mechanism operating meansof.

an improvedstructure whereby the same may be disposed within a minimum amount of space and protected again'st interference by associated mechanism. 7 r

' 'A'further object of this invention 'isjtol provide unimproved form of grapple which will be relatively simplein construction; inexpensive to manufacture; readily manipulated, especiallypcom paet,and ver y efficient and ..durable in -usefl} "iwgith these and other objectslin view,-which will appear as the description proceeds, there have been illustrated in the accompanying drawings forms in which the features andprinciples of this invention may be conveniently embodied in practice, it being understood that various changes may be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a grapple embodying the features and principles of this invention;

s Figure 2 is a side view of the same;

Figure 3 is an end view of the same; and

lGlaim. (cream-6n wnat'inoaineufrorm, or "grapple embodying "the feature's lo' f thisinvention.

"Referring j-now tothe drawings wherein like reference numeralsjdesignateflike parts" through} out the severalviews, "the; reference numerals "l I and "F21 denote thestockcarrying' bars, or angles, which are "suitably "secured to the lower ends "of drop"legsl 3,' T4, anti r5, IB respectively. "The legs l3lan'd l'lare s'ecured to the "outer'ends of slide ,bean ls 1'1 and Ill respectively, and the legs iiand 116 are securetitoithe router :ends'pfthe slideybeams T9 and ill respectively 7 a 1 j 'The :slide'lbeamsfl, l9 and 158,? Larexarran'g'ed to slide horizontally in opposite "directions in housings Hand 23 respectively, when gear'pinionsf24 and"25' respectively are rotated The teeth of gear pinions l4'mesh' with thefie'ethidf toothed tracks 26 and "l'i respe'ctively secured to therbeam-sill .an'dlfll. "The teetho'f the gear'pina inns mesh with'the teeth or toothed racks'2'8 and-Z9 v respectively secured "tofthe beams 1'8 and Z! "The shaft 3D, to "which the :ge'arfpinijonf24 is securelifisjournalediin a bearing plate 31, ex-

has a. gearffii securedfupon itsiupp'er portion, and then passes into an -upper b'e'a'ringplate 34. The meter: rests on, and-' 1s secured to, "the side' members of the housing "/12 and "the bearing plate 34} lis supported "from the ,plate- '32 on channel beamsi35 and ".35. j The gear Q33 is injin'eSh with a gear .i'l the shaft 38 of which 'issecured thereto and 5extendsbetvveenthe ,plates3'2 and 34, being .l'o' aledr therein,f""I'-he Shaft "38 extends up wardlyjbeyond "thejplate 34 and "has 1 a sprocket:

, through a fbearing' lplate n when Teaspoon 40;

and'is secured'tothe sidem'embers' of the'h'ous ing 23, The shaft is"securedtothe p'inion' 25 andextnds upwardlytherefromthrouglrb earingjplate 42 and a bev'lrgear 43 "to Whichfjitis' secured. The shaft 40 extendsupwardlybeyond the bevel gear 4'3 and has a sprocket wheel 44' secured upon its upper end. The sprocket wheels 39 and 44 are drivingly connected together by a chain 45 indicated by dotted lines in Figure 1. A bevel gear pinion 46 secured upon a shaft 41 is in mesh with the bevel gear 43, the shaft 41 being journaled in a bearing block 48 and an outboard bearing 49. The shaft 41 has a hand wheel 50 secured to its outer end for actuation thereby.

The housings 22 and 23 are suspended from spaced apart grapple frame side beams 52 and 53, the housings 2 2 and 23 being spaced apart A chain guard and support is provided for each run of the chain 45 between the sprockets 39 and 44. Each chain guard and support comprises an angle bar 58 extending from one sprocket to the other with one leg of the angle lying in under the chain and the other lying alongside the outside edge of the chain and extending upwardly vbeyond the chain and sprockets to form a guard to prevent interference of thehoist frame, or other overhead structure, with the chains or sprockets. The guard and support bars 58 are secured to and supported on bars 59 and 60' which extend inwardly from the frame beams 52 and 53. The outboardbearingf49fin which the shaft 46 is journaled, is supported by angle bars Gland 62 which are secured to corresponding ends of frame beams 52 and 53 and converge into contact with each i other at the outboard bearing 49, whereat the bars BI and 62 are secured to each other and to the bearing 49. 'An outboard bear ing counterbalancing bar 63 is provided and is secured to the ends of the frame beams 52 and 53 opposite the ends to which the outboard bearing 49issecured. 1 Y I vIn the modified form, shown in Figure 4, the legs, l3 and I5 are connected ,to the outer ends of beams l9 and 11 respectively instead of as in the form shown in Figures 1, ,2, and 3 to the beams l1 and I9 respectively. Due to this difference in connection, the gears 33 and 31 may be omitted and a sprocket I is secured to the upper end of the shaft 30 above the bearing plate 32.

i As in the form shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3, the

sprocket, is drivingly connected to asprocket "by a chain lZ. "The sprocket H is secured on the shaft 40. A handwheel 13 is secured to the shaft 40 above the sprocket ll.

Plates 14, extending one along each of the beams 52 and 53, below the opposite runs of the chain 45, 'form guards for the chain '45. In this form of structure crossbeams l 'andl6,somewhat narrower than the beams 54 and 5.5, extend between the frame beams 52 and 53 and are connectedlto said frame beams 'adjacenttheir upper surface so as to lie above the runs'of the chain 45,, The cross beams 15 and 15 are spaced apart and have a, pin Tl extending 'therebetween intermediate their ends to vvhich the hook 56 of the hoist can beconnected.

In both forms, the actuatingmechanism for moving the stock carrying bars H and I2 is disposed substantially in line with, or below the upper surface of the frame side beams 52 and 53 whereby the overhead operating space required by the mechanism of this invention is of minimum dimension. The frame side beams 52 and 53 form a, housing in which the operating mechanism is disposed and also a support for the housings 22 and 23 which are secured to and depend therefrom. By disposing the grapple supporting pin 51, or 11,:intermediate the frame beams 52 and 53vand between the chain runs, and by locating the axes of the shafts and and the sprockets 39 and 44 intermediate the frame beams 52 and 53, the grapple is balanced "laterally, whereby the load engaging bars II and l2.;-,will.be maintained substantially in the same .plane at all times.

Itwill beunderstood that the novel features and principles of this invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit and essential attributes thereof, and it is therefore desired that the present embodie ments be consideredas illustrativewand not re-J strictive, reference being had to thefclaim, rather than to the foregoingdescription to indicatethe scope of the invention.

l-Iavingthus fully disclosed the invention, what is claimed as newand for which it is desired to secure Letters Patent, is; In a grapple, laterally spaced apart frame side beams, lengthwise spaced apart housings extending between and secured to said side beams, a pair of oppositely movable .bars ineach housing, a gear rack on each bar, a stock. engaging member on theouterend of each bar,,a first gear pinion in one housing in mesh with thev gear racks on the bars in said housing, a second gear pinion in mesh with the first gearwpinion, a shaft for the second gearpinion and extending upwardly therefrom, a sprocket cnsaid pinion shaft a third gear pinion in the other housing in ,mesh with the gear racks on the bars in said "housing; a shaft fOlpMld extending-upwardlyfrom, the third gear pinion, a sprocket, on said last mentioned shaft, a chain running about"'and"between said sprockets to drivingly connect 'them', spaced apart angle-bars, each having one of its arms in under the chain between the sprockets and its other arm extendingxupwardly!alongside of and above said chain to prevent.inter-' ference of overhead structure with the chain, and means to rotate one'of said sprockets. i 1 JAC lZiRlilSIiAVW file of this patent:

- NITED STATES PATENTS;;;

Number Name I i V 2,276,905 3 "Windsor Mar. 17', 1942 2,281,343 ere mvliq ii l i; lipflga isga nae- 

